Publishing E-Books For Dummies

Fixing Inconsistent Formatting in Your Current Manuscript

If you’re like most writers, your finished manuscript isn’t in perfect shape. Perhaps you’ve written your e-book in several separate document files, all with slightly different formatting. Even if everything in the document looks correct on your screen, all sorts of weird and wonderful formatting may be in effect — causing problems when you convert the Word document into an EPUB file or a MOBI file. (Formatting in a PDF file is less of an issue, but poor formatting can still create problems in an element such as the table of contents.)

A spring-cleaning is therefore crucial for your manuscript. Similar to spring-cleaning your house, you have to reach every nook and cranny rather than settle for a tidy-looking surface.

You may spot certain problems in your manuscript — and not know how to fix them efficiently. You might even believe that readers won’t notice minor formatting inconsistencies. To help your e-book create a truly professional impression, format it as thoroughly and consistently as possible.

Before you begin, make a backup copy of your file — in case you run into problems and need to return to the original file.

Viewing formatting marks

To view the behind-the-scenes formatting of your manuscript, click the Show/Hide button on the Home tab of the Ribbon in Word. The button, which is in the Paragraph section, looks ...